Category Archives: Redux Post

Note

I know this is hard to believe, but this was written in 2012.

Please bear with me.

Frank Archambeault once had written me in an e-mail that he was living not far away from Plainville. So when I planned my visit to Joe’s place three weeks ago, I wrote Frank about it.

I figured Frank would be excited by the fact of meeting his two virtual 3rd cousins addicted to genealogy.

So here we are last Saturday morning sitting down at Liberty Diner for breakfast with our wives when Frank shows up by the door.

From that moment on, Frank could not keep from talking and talking, and excusing himself for talking too much.

Being this crazy Canuck who has been writing like crazy since 2009 about genealogy and who tries to find other people’s ancestors down in Connecticut, I could well understand all this excitement and I showed Frank a lot of empathy.

Try to imagine poor Frank cramming in 100 years or so of his ancestors’ stories and anecdotes over two eggs over easy. This was by no means a piece of cake.

So Frank kept talking and talking, drinking cup after cup of coffee… which I think did not help a wee bit…

After Frank ate his breakfast, which was most probably cold by now, all three third cousins proceeded to Joe’s place with our wives deciding instead to go shopping.

Anyway…

When we arrived and sat in the dinning room, Frank pulled a kitchen note out of his hat… a newspaper clipping.

It was something related to this picture, his grandparents’s wedding picture that Robin had scanned last year!

Robin? Robin Who?
She’s not even a blood relative…

Anyway…

Little did Frank know that he had pulled more than one kitchen’s note out of his hat.

In his kitchen’s notes, Frank had the newspaper clipping of the wedding. We had the name of the bridesmaid, which I knew of course, thanks to Robin, and also the name of the best man who was still unknown.

Frank Lagassi!

William Archambeault’s best man was his nephew Frank Lagasse Junior who was his sister’s son.

Frank Lagasse Junior, born in 1883, was the son of Sophie Archambeault and Frank Lagasse (François-Xavier Lagacé).

You should know Sophie Archambeault by now.

Confused?

Do you remember this unidentified couple from the tintype pictures Frank had sent me?

– Sophie, I am bit confused…

What about this montage?

Anyway…

François-Xavier Lagacé (Frank Lagasse Senior) died on January 1st, 1937, and he could well be here on this picture with two of his other sons: Edward and William.

I would go out on a limb and say that the little boy is the grandson of Frank Lagasse Senior. Alfred Lagasse was the son of Frederick Lagasse, another son of Frank Lagasse Senior.

Alfred was born around 1922 and he could be with his mother Aurore.

Frederick or Fred could be here on this other picture holding his son Alfred and having a cigar!

If I am correct, Sophie Archambeault could also be on that picture as one of the three old ladies in the back…

Finally, if I did not make a complete fool of myself, this picture could have been taken at Lake Compounce around 1927 since all these people were living around Bristol at that time.

This next post was written way back on August 24th, 2010. Four years later I have found Patricia, a third cousin once removed, one of Philomène Lagacé’s descendants. Luckily for me she was as excited as I was and she doesn’t think I am a kook.

So let’s go back in time and read what I wrote exactly four years ago.

Start reading…

I know I should be talking about my great-grandfather Stanislas Lagasse this morning… but Joe gave me a lot of information on Stanislas’ sister Philomène Lagasse. Her nickname was Libbie.

That’s a catchy nickname.

Joe sent me this obituary…

Philomene LAGASSE

Death (12 March 1920):

BRISTOL PRESS

13 March 1920

Mrs. Libbie Alexander widow of the late John Alexander died at the home of her son David Alexander 149 Park St. last evening as a result of complications due to old age.

She had been an invalid for several years. Mrs. Alexander was born in Quebec, Canada 79 years ago. She spent her early years there. She was married in 1869 to John Alexander. They moved to the state and lived for some time in North Adams, Mass. They came to Bristol twenty six years ago and made their home here. Mr. Alexander died in 1914.

Mrs. Alexander is survived by four daughters: Mrs. David Bleau, Mrs. William Archambeault and Miss Mary Alexander of Bristol and Mrs. Phoebe Lustrich of Brooklyn, NY. By three sons: John, David, and Peter Alexander all of Bristol, and by many grand children and great grand children. She was one of the well known French residents and was a member of St. Ann’s Church. The funeral will be held at St. Ann’s Church at 9 o’clock Monday morning. Rev. Joseph P. Perreault will conduct the services.

The only thing I had on her was this information found in Canadian censuses…

One of my greatest post on this blog!

Hard to link Dennis Lagasse II aka Stanislas Lagacé II to this Denis Lagasser in the 1920 U.S. Census.

Denis or Dennis or Stanislas was a widower in 1920.

1842-1927

Lavina Duke was a widow in 1920. Dennis was living with his daughter and her children probably since 1907 after the death of his wife Henriette Alexandre.

Lavina Duke was not her real name. Her name was in fact Malvina Lagacé Dubé. Her husband was Joseph Dubé and not Duke. So you see how it’s hard for someone to link this ancestor to his or her family tree…

Here is Malvina in the 1910 U.S. Census… Melvina Dube.

Again wrong given name, but right surname. Malvina is a widow. Joseph Dubé probably died after 1906 because he fathered a child, Marie Louise who is four years-old in 1910.

That was before I met virtually Dennis Lagasse the Fourth from Connecticut, and more than 100 precious old pictures his father Lionel had kept.

Boy was I excited!

Time flies doesn’t it?

Last day of July.

Is time spent looking for our ancestors a waste of time…?

Of course it’s not.

Brian LeGacy told me he could not get to sleeep after I gave him a helping hand and he started digging for himself.

Is it worth losing sleep over our ancestors…?

Of course it’s worth.

Some psychologists say that we can find strength when we discover our roots.

I am no psychologist but I think we might have something there.

Pierre Lagacé and his brother Stanislas Lagacé (Dennis Lagasse) on a park bench probably in Connecticut probably around 1905

You see back in 2007 when I started getting interested in genealogy I did not know Stanislas Lagacé had ever existed. Of course I knew I had a great-grandfather but I knew nothing of my grandfather’s parents. Four years later, I am helping people find their roots.

Joseph Mignier dit Lagacé was the son of Michel Mignier dit Lagacé. You will find some information on the Internet and some also on Ancestry.

But beware!

Some information that are suggested might be erronous down the road. I just found out on Ancestry that some people have “discovered” André Mignier dit L’Agacé grandparents!

Wow that is quite a big surprise…!

WRONG!

I don’t mind some little errors on dates, but this couple got married in 1802! André Mignier came in New France in 1665 with the Carignan Salières regiment.

Oups…

I won’t lose any sleep over this, but I find it a little annoying when some people put such wrong information about their ancestors or other people’s ancestors….

This reminds me of a distant 3rd cousin of mine who had my mother’s birthdate wrong on his family tree. I told him politely. He never changed it!

It’s about this picture scanned by a stranger on the West Coast of the United States whose husband is a very distant relative. I won’t write about it so if you are interested you will have to read the sequel which has three posts.